Max Verstappen has not raced a GT car in anger since his NLS debut at the Nürburgring last September. According to reporting from RacingNews365, that may change in the middle of a Formula 1 double-header, with the four-time world champion tipped to line up for Verstappen Racing at Portimão as the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup closes out its 2026 season.
The scheduling arithmetic is aggressive even by his standards. Singapore’s night race runs on 11 October, and the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is set for 25 October. Portimão falls squarely in between, with the three-hour season finale scheduled to start at 5pm local time on Saturday 17 October.
The opening exists because of a diary clash further up the endurance pyramid. Verstappen Racing’s regular Endurance Cup drivers Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are both booked into the FIA World Endurance Championship’s new 6 Hours of Barcelona on the same weekend, Juncadella with Alpine and Gounon with Genesis. GT World Challenge organisers moved Portimão’s race from Sunday to Saturday evening to give the affected drivers a fighting chance of reaching Barcelona in time, but the pair are reportedly still leaning towards their WEC commitments. That leaves Verstappen Racing with only Chris Lulham confirmed and a car that needs three drivers.
Palou the name in the frame
Enter Álex Palou. The Spaniard has just wrapped up the 2026 IndyCar season with Chip Ganassi Racing, and the calendar makes him one of very few available cross-series stars in mid-October. Verstappen is reported to have named Palou as his preferred choice for the empty seat, though nothing has been agreed and Palou’s participation is not guaranteed.
Mercedes stays non-committal
The manufacturer whose GT3 the team runs is not confirming anything. A Mercedes-AMG Motorsport spokesperson told RacingNews365 that neither Verstappen’s participation nor the absence of the two regular drivers had been settled either way.
“We are currently assessing various scenarios to ensure that we can compete effectively in Portimão with our teams,” the spokesperson added.
Verstappen Racing joined the GT World Challenge Europe grid this year under a multi-year deal with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, fielding Lulham, Juncadella and Gounon in the Endurance programme. Verstappen’s own competitive GT3 experience remains limited to that one-off outing at the Nürburgring in September 2025, when he shared an Emil Frey Ferrari 296 GT3 with Lulham on his NLS debut and won.
Free practice at Portimão opens on Friday 16 October, with qualifying and the three-hour race following on the Saturday evening.
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Sources: – [Norris wins 2025 F1 title and ends Verstappen’s four-year reign as champion](https://www.racefans.net/2025/12/07/norris-wins-2025-f1-title-and-ends-verstappens-four-year-reign-as-champion/) – [Verstappen to make GT3 race debut at Nordschleife in NLS this weekend (Autosport)](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/verstappen-gt3-debut-nls-nordschleife/10762117/) – [Max Verstappen celebrates GT3 racing debut with Emil Frey Racing on the Nordschleife (Ferrari)](https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/competizioni-gt/articles/max-verstappen-celebrates-gt3-racing-debut-with-emil-frey-racing-on-the-nordschleife) – [Max Verstappen rumoured to make Mercedes GT3 return (RacingNews365)](https://racingnews365.com/max-verstappen-rumoured-to-make-mercedes-gt3-return-seeking-high-profile-name-for-team-mate)
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